BLOOM media roundup
If you haven't seen the first video in our A Family Like Mine series, covering diverse families raising kids with disabilities, check it out. Rob and Dave, above, are a married couple who adopted Owen, who has autism. They talk about their adoption journey and how Owen has settled into their family and thrived.
And in other news:
'I didn't feel strong enough'The Telegraph
Brilliant animated account of a dad whose daughter is born with medical problems and diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
When it comes to disability, is it better to look 'different' or 'normal?'
BBC Ouch podcast
Adults with disabilities talk about pressure to improve their appearance. Should a woman with a prosthetic eye wear dark glasses? Should a woman who is a double amputee wear skirts? "It's the people staring that really gets on my nerves," one says.
Guinea pigs are autistic child's best friendThe New York Times
When playing with guinea pigs at school, children with autism spectrum disorders are more eager to attend, display more interactive social behavior and become less anxious, according to a series of studies.
Anesthesiologist trashes sedated patient—and it ends up costing her
Washington Post Listen to the degrading comments two doctors and a medical assistant make about a patient who's receiving a colonoscopy. The conversation was recorded on the patient's phone. Shocking and makes you wonder.
For disabled people like me, cuts spell the end of independent livingThe Guardian
Penny Popper, a British writer and performer, writes about the end of England's Independent Living Fund, which covers the cost of attendants.
Comedian with a stutter gets the golden buzzer from HowieDaily Best Like
A baseball injury damages a young man's vocal chords, causing him to stutter. He performs as a comedian on America's Got Talent.
Esme can readThe New York Times
The mother of a child who can't speak, point or sign writes about realizing her daughter can read.
Texas to require cameras in special-ed classroomsDisability Scoop
"We heard testimony from students with special needs and parents whose lives have been forever changed by mistreatment in the classroom," state Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., who authored the legislation, said.
Is special education racist?The New York Times
"Black children face double jeopardy when it comes to succeeding in school," write two researchers. "They are far more likely to be exposed to the gestational, environmental and economic risk facts that often result in disabilities. Yet black children are less likely to be told they have disabilities, and to be treated for them, than otherwise similar white children," according to a new study.
When doctors become patientsA Better NHS blog
Amazing accounts of doctors who become patients and how it transforms their practice.
New theory suggests disability played critical role in our evolutionDaily Mail
British anthropologists argue that disability is what made us human, promoting our social, empathetic and flexible natures.
TDSB school asked my autistic student not to attend graduationHeart Learning Centre blog An after-school program writes about a kindergarten child with autism being asked to come in later one morning so that she misses graduation ceremonies.
Holly, Alex and Jaxson 1,000 Families Project
A gay couple begin the adoption process with one request: They want a child with Down syndrome.
Doctors go online for medical information, tooWall Street Journal
When a child has a rare condition, doctors look to online groups for families who can shed light on their experience. Our BLOOM contributor Barb Farlow is referenced in this article, as is a paper she and two doctors published in Pediatrics on the experience of parents of 272 children with Trisomy 13 and 18.
Horrified family finds daughter's photo on prenatal screening adCTV
Without the Canadian family's consent, a photo of a girl with Down syndrome that had been posted on her mother's blog was used in a building-size banner advertising a Swiss prenatal test to detect Down syndrome.
Why isn't it the right time for NEO Kids?Northern Life
An eye-opening editorial about the obstacles a proposal for a pediatric hospital in Greater Sudbury is facing, despite widespread parent and medical support. Includes disturbing statistics about the health of children in Northern Ontario vs the Ontario average.
